My Fitness Pal

I found a new website that I have to share with all of you! I was introduced to the website www.myfitnesspal.com by Stacie and Chris Clark of Tiger Athletics. I was introduced to Stacie and Chris through a friend about a month ago, and I continue to work with them to reach my weight loss and fitness goals before my wedding (that's right, if you haven't heard, I'm getting married Oct. 2, haha). When I started working out with Stacie, she had me sign up for this FREE website that tracks your exercise and the amount of food you eat every single day. It really holds me accountable for each piece of food I put in my mouth, and for the amount of exercise I'm doing (or not doing). You just enter your weight, height, fitness goal (weight loss, endurance, etc.) and this website literally tells you how many calories you have left to eat every day. AND, if you workout, you're rewarded with MORE calories each day. It's basically a calorie in, calorie out kind of monitoring system. You need to be burning more calories than you're consuming in order to lose weight... pretty simple. If you're an over-eater and don't know how to use portion control, this website will really keep you in check. I am struggling with entering all of my food and exercise into the website everyday, but I am making it a priority because it is very important (who isn't busy right?!). Since I love hearing about new things out there that you're excited about, I thought I'd share something with you that I'm very excited about!

Britney Sings "Telephone"

I admit it, I'm a HUGE Britney Spears fan! Hearing her sing Lady Gaga's "Telephone" is pretty cool. Thanks Perez for sharing this leaked demo! Remember, it's JUST a demo...

http://perezhilton.com/2010-05-02-britney-does-gaga

Officer Killed in Maplewood

May 1st, 2010: Another senseless tragedy in Minnesota history. My heart broke this morning when I read the headlines on Twitter this morning: "Maplewood Police Officer Shot and Killed". I can only imagine what this community and the family of Sgt. Joseph Bergeron is going through right now. My heart goes out to every person close to this police officer.

My whole life, I've grown up around police officers, as my dad is the Fire Chief of Hopkins. I have a couple cousins who are police officers in the Twin Cities, and uncles on fire departments around the Metro. I know first hand how these brave men and women risk their lives each and every day, to make sure YOU are safe! I can only imagine the ignorant people these heroes have to deal with every day that they go to work, and the dangerous situations they encounter so all of us can sleep peacefully at night. When I hear people say that police officers need to treat people with more respect, it makes me want to scream! When there are men and women out there, risking their own lives to keep all of us safe, I think we need to re-think who should be treating who with respect! I don't care who you are, or what situation you're in... if a police officer tells you to do something, you do it. Police officers have no idea the type of people they're dealing with in any given situation. Police officers have a right to treat all of us as if we have a gun hidden in our pocket, because this is the reality. Police officers have no idea if the situation they're walking into is dangerous or safe. If I were in their shoes, I would treat every situation as if if could turn dangerous. EVERYONE should respect these heroes enough to obey their orders, so EVERYONE stays safe.

Maplewood lost a hero today. When 49-year-old Sgt. Joseph Bergero left his house for work today, he had no idea he was going to lose his life. He never got to say good-bye to his wife and daughters, and his family never had the chance to say good-bye to him. A senseless act by a few thoughtless idiots, brought this hero's life to an end. It's days like today, we all need to thank our lucky stars that we have people like Joseph Bergero, protecting our neighborhoods, families and children, each and every day. And out of respect, it's our job to obey these brave men and women, so they can do their job. Thank you Sgt. Bergero for protecting the lives of so many people in Minnesota. You'll be missed and honored by many.

Note to Self: Go to Target Field

If you haven't gone already... get in your car, buy a ticket and go to Target Field to see a Twins Game! Not kidding, this place will change your life. Earlier this week, my parents took me, my sister and my cousin to watcha game (I think they played the Indians). When I looked at my ticket, I saw that we were in section 3-hundred-something, and I thought to myself, "wow, these are crappy seats." But really, there isn't a bad seat at Target Field. And if you ask me, the higher up you are, the better! Looking down of the perfectly manicured grass, and getting to see the Minneapolis skyline, really makes me appreciate this city. We are so lucky to have this new field right in the heart of Downtown Minneapolis!

When we arrived at Target Plaza, I randomly bumped into TCL intern Kerry Wallace. But to make things even more random, Kerry and her family's seats were the row right behind ours! Of all the seats in the stadium, what are the odds that I'd be seated right next to someone I work with?! Very fun!

Other than the sights, the excitment, the newness of the staduim (oh yeah, and the game)... let's talk about the food! Going to Target Field is kind of like visiting the MN State Fair. At the Dome, the only food choices were Dome Dogs, Beer and ice cream in little baseball hats. But at Target Field, you get to choose from turkey legs, corn on the cobb, burgers, fries, tacos, steak sandwiches, Cuban sandwiches, nachos, cheese curds... the list goes on and on! I had to make the difficult choice of what to eat, and I chose the CHEESEBURGER! The initial shock of the cheeseburger being almost $10 was a little too much to take, but trust me, it's worth every penny. As you can see from my photo, the burgers are HUGE and they come with a very generous portion of fries. This meal can easily be split between two people. I also tried the nachos, and my advice would be to skip it. We got the regular nachos, and the amount of cheese they give you for the amount of chips... not equal!

We also got to watch my little cousin, Nick Specken, sing the National Anthem with his class at Target Field. The HUGE screen that they have, makes it so easy for everyone to watch what's happening on the field. And the fact that the big screen rests right up against the downtown skiyline, makes it that much more perfect!

I'm pretty sure Target Field will be seeing a LOT of the Speckens this summer!

Registering For The Wedding

I have to admit, one of the most exciting things AJ and I have gotten to do since we got engaged... REGISTERING FOR THE WEDDING! Having a store just give you a little scanner and tell you to go pick out anything you want for your wedding gifts... well it doesn't get much better than that!

It took us an entire day to hit up three of our favorite stores: Macys, Target, and Crate and Barrel. Our first stop, Crate and Barrel! When we got there, we decided to register for pretty much all of our dinnerware, silverware, etc. They have a lot of cute stuff, and for pretty decent prices (I don't care for their bedding patterns though). AJ got to do all of the scanning, but I did watch him like a hawk, because I knew if I turned away for a second, he would start scanning random toys we don't need:) At one point I saw him drooling over a deep fryer and ice-cream maker (those things did NOT make the registry).

Our second stop, MACY'S! This is where everything changed. For all you newly engaged ladies or soon-to-be brides... REGISTER AT MACY'S! The woman helping us told us about their Rewards Program. This program is set up to give the bride and groom 5% of everything purchased on your registry after the wedding, in Macy's credit. So basically, if people purchase a wedding gift for us at Macy's from off our registry, not only will we get a great gift, but we'll get 5% of whatever they spent, back in Macy's credit. This is great, especially for new homeowners like us! Our friends Carrie and Steve Bell told us, that they registered at Macy's and after the wedding, Macy's just keep sending them gift cards. Once we heard about this, we decided to take a lot of the things off of our Crate and Barrel registry, and register for a majority of the things we need at Macy's!

Our final stop... Target! And who doesn't love Target?! I'm the kind of girl that will walk into Target to grab a gallon of milk, and walk out with $100 worth of stuff. Target gets me every time... I'm like a kid in a candy store:) We decided to register for a lot of our outdoor stuff at Target. I'm hoping one of our wedding guests will actually buy me a Target store (here's to wishful thinking).

I'm very thankful that AJ and I have the same taste in home decor and colors. For us, registering was actually a lot of fun... exhausting, but fun! I learned that boys have no interest in linen patterns and thread counts, and you should stay away from the electronics aisle at Target when registering for your wedding. I'm not sure who invented the wedding registry idea, but if I ever meet this person they'll be getting a BIG high five and hug from yours truly:)

My First Real Garden

GARDEN SEASON: One of the things I was most excited about when we bought the house, was the thought of being able to have my OWN REAL GARDEN! I stopped by the store on my way home yesterday and picked up some dirt, pots, seeds, and started planting. Since the ground is still cold, I'm starting my seeds out in these little pots. In a few weeks, my dad is going to help me dig out a space in the back yard so I can't plant away! My mom and dad always have the best gardens in the summer, and I'm just used to going over to their house to pick up my strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. But this year... nope! I'll be working on my own garden, and harvesting my own veggies and herbs. I'm planning on moving the herbs inside once it gets cold, so I can have fresh herbs all year round. So far, I've started strawberries, peppers, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, onions, and a couple more that I just can't remember. I will keep this page updated with the progress of my first garden. It could be photos of me preparing delicious dishes with my veggies and herbs, or it may be photos of some dead little plants. Only time will tell...

My next project... getting a compost going behind the shed!

Am I "The Cheap Girl"?!

Working for TWIN CITIES LIVE, I have had the opportunity to try some pretty amazing things: helicopter rides, hot air balloon adventures, flying a plane, and of course some of the most delicious food the Twin Cites has to offer. My latest adventure... "cheap but cute" fashion segments on TCL! I've been putting together looks for show segments... everything from "Cute, Comfy and Cheap" outfits, to my latest "Spring Dresses Under $40". I'm having the opportunity to combine three things I love... fashion/shopping, saving money, and television! I'd say this is a pretty good gig.


I've teamed up with Meredith Model and Talent Agency, and they've been sending me some wonderful, beautiful, and talented local models, to showcase the looks I put together for these segments. Many of these girls are new to the business, so their first television modeling appearance in on TCL... which must be so exciting for them!

Below is one of the actual outfits I put together this week for our show's co-host, Elizabeth Ries. This dress is from Charlotte Russe, and was only $25! Cute huh?! TCL Producer Kelly Jordan saw it when I brought it into work after my shopping trip, and she went out and bought it for herself. Good choice Kelly!

Now, I'm looking for an actual name for my TCL fashion segments. "Cute but Cheap" and "Fashion Saver" have been brought to the table. Any other ideas???? For now, I think I'm known as "The Cheap Girl"... such is life:)